Ten Predictions for Digital Thailand 2010

Hi there

It’s a good time now to look forward to how digital marketing will affect us in 2010, and what we should be planning for.

While there are all sorts of predictions coming out – my favourites being this US article from Millward Brown and this slide presentation from an Australian agency – I wanted to look specifically at Thailand and what we can expect in the digital marketing sphere in 2010. Here are my predictions:

1. Web Sites Go Visual: Web sites become a far more visual and engaging experience as rich media elements such as video (TV, viral, demos and interactive applications (transacting, shopping lists, games, maps,etc.) start to take over from static content and text. The Web objectives for Thai sites will become far more and about measuring interaction and less on page visits, because this is a market where simplicity and ease of use & enjoyment are so important.

2. Mobile Apps Beat Mobile Web, But… : For many companies in Thailand, beyond industries like banks and media, a mobile WAP is not yet an option in terms of the user experience. The change in app developments of late means mobile apps are easier to do, produce a better user experience and can be highly focused. But as connections get better (let’s not talk about 3G delays!) the WAP will start to rise as an option to hit the masses. Also watch out for the new Google Nexus (hopefully by end of the year) smart phone and its applications.

3. Gaming Continues to Rise: More and more companies will see gaming and gaming type applications as more than fun but educational, informative, and a better way to engage a wide range of customer audiences. Thai’s are the biggest gamers in Asia (18-29), so stay tuned for more Web site based games, Facebook games, mobile games, offline games, from some unexpected companies, and some older audiences too. Especially look out for more integration with social media platforms.

4. Online Advertising Will Limp Along : I know I know, many people say that now with Mobile Web we have so many more online display ad options but you know what, I just can’t see it. Clicks continue to fall in Thailand (and everywhere else) and the number of other digital marketing options continue to rise. Yes we can do so much more with engagement in online ads. Yes search advertising will retain a vital role. And yes video ads hold a lot of promise. But the interruption model of most online advertising campaigns needs a serious revamp.

5. Location Matters for Social Media: With social media being used far more on mobile, and with geo-location starting to become a feature of mobile, expect to see more Facebook and Twitter campaigns based around where you are right now. It especially makes sense for young Thais who are out and about. I think something like Four Square here by the end of the year.

6. Social Becomes Mainstream Marketing: It’s already starting to happen with most clients, the use of social media and integrating it with the rest of a marketing campaign. Not just a Facebook page, but integrating this with the advertising, PR, promotions events and web will be standard very soon. The explosion of FB and Twitter in Thailand, and across Asia, makes this a must.

7. Search Becomes Real: With FB and Twitter proving more real time updates Google & Co are including real time search here in Thailand to make their service more up to date then just searching via social media. Local search will also continue to become more popular as people want to know what is happening RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW.

8. Data Awakening : The growth in digital in Thailand has seen an explosion of data, much of it either ignored or mis-used in my experience. This year I have seen already a trend of looking to the data for more understanding and insight of what matters in marketing and CRM campaigns. The refinement of digital measurement and data analysis, and the cost efficiencies it brings, is important in a market still keeping its belt tight.

9. Digital Ideas Lead: While traditional media will still dominate in Thailand, expect to see the continuing trend of campaign ideas that require consumer interaction, which will mean digital ideas will start to take a lead role in many campaigns. Yes, yes I’m biased I know but the trend is entrenched in most overseas markets and the early signs here are that online is where the core of the idea is starting to emerge. It will not, and should not, stay there though. Overall integration has never been more important.

10. The Un-Scared Thai: This is how a colleague recently described there experience with young Thais starting to experiment online with film, mobile, gaming and generally participating without fear online. The growth in social networking has meant people have to participate to be heard. That means they are far less afraid to try anything new or different, as engagement and sharing is now the norm. They won’t do anything to crazy of course – but mainstream campaigns getting people to jump in and do something more the enter a competition will continue to evolve here. Expect a lot more consumer created content this year in Thailand.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

Looking Back @ 2009

Hi everyone

Happy New Year to everyone, best wishes for a enjoyable and successful 2010.

In moving forward this year with all our digital marketing plans, it always helps to review what's happened before and how we can learn from our successes and our failures. And there have been some phenomenal changes in digital marketing in the last 12 months.

It seems everyone can provide a ‘list’ or 'best of' – from the Best 10 ideas of the Decade, the Best iPhone Branded Apps to even the Best Digital Marketing Mistakes to Avoid.

But yet again this year I give you the most complete, and comprehensive and MUST READ review of digital and interactive marketing for 2009 - Most Contagious. Yes it’s 50 pages, but you can just flick through it briefly or click every link - because it breaks down a big year into the key developments, ideas, business successes and case studies of the year. Check it out.

Next week we’ll look ahead at 2010 and what’s in store. Once again this year we hope to provide you with digital marketing ideas and examples to educate and inspire. With a particular focus on Asia and Thailand.

With that in mind if you would like any particular areas or topics discussed, I’d love to hear from you.

See you next week.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

Social Media Success Stories

Hi everyone

At a time when everyone is selling themselves as an expert in social media, but few really are, it’s worth having a reality check about what social media can and can’t do.

This great article, 10 things Social Media Can’t Do, is a timely reminder that nothing will replace a solid and holistic marketing strategy, and an understanding of social media’s limitations.

On the flip side though, I think there is a misleading perception among some that social media is not a place a brand can really be heard or engaged with in any serious way by customers, or that this audience is too young or dis-interested to even try.

Despite many strong arguments to the contrary, the only really effective argument is proof positive that social media marketing works. Because after all, only by doing and learning and re-applying can any brand or agency be successful in this ever-changing environment. And successful case studies can help highlight the fundamentals of what is working well in this field.

So let’s look at what we can learn from the following campaigns:

1. It all starts with a ‘social media’ idea: Not just any idea. One that is useful, or fun, and one that we are really dying to share with others. One that reflects your brand and its values. The one recently that I like most recently is the Ikea Showroom campaign, which combined all the elements of a strong Facebook idea, with the cheekiness and humor of the Ikea brand. Watch how it works here.

2. An idea that people want to share & others want to hear about: Some ideas aren’t born to share, aren’t right for the brand, or don’t have enough connection to truly catch on. It takes insight and inspiration to come up with sharing ideas which truly resonate with audiences. I love this one’s simplicity from Lufthansa.

Users who sign up to Lufthansa’s MySkyStatus will find their Facebook and Twitter profiles automatically updated with their altitude, location, departure and ar­rival information. Lufthansa is branding the service as ‘travel made social’, but any customers who don’t want to share their itineraries with the world are free to keep the information private. It’s reported almost half their online audience are signing up.

3. An idea your people want to talk about: One of the great strengths of Twitter is providing your employess, your people, to use it as a means of communicating directly with customers and provide a personal and engaging customer service experience. Best Buy is a great example of this, which you can read about here. The US-based consumer electronics retailer took its reputation for in-store service to the next level with the launch of Twelpforce – an army of 2100 Best Buy employees authorized to answer consumer questions via Twitter.

The tool took 13,000 queries in the first two months, and at a time when consumer spending in the US is down by 1.9%, the company made a net profit of $158m in 3Q09 on revenues of $11 bil­lion (up from $9.8 billion year-on-year). It’s just one example of just how useful, fun and rewarding Twitter can be.

4. An idea that lives across different media: Yeah you can focus only on social media, but why risk that? Besides if it’s a great idea with great content then what are ALL the video, mobile marketing, social networks and traditional channels we can use to spread the idea. The reality seems to be the best ideas use other digital and other media, to drive the idea further.

One great example is Cadbury Nibbles online pop –up store, which combines Facebook application with a great in-store promotion. Read more here. The result saw comments appearing on the Facebook page at the rate of one every 2.5 seconds for the two days of the promotion, and the store garnered an equiva­lent footfall in excess of 4m people with over £1.5m earned through social media.

Estee Lauder also did a great campaign for cosmetics here http://visitshoremagazine.com/2/?p=7995

5. An idea that is measured, evaluated and then evolves: The evolution of social media is ongoing but the best campaigns are always measured, evaluated and built upon. In this wonderful article on ‘Retailers Go Nuts for Social Media’, it shows how Best Buy, EBAY, JCPENNEY, TOYS’R’US and WALMART are evolving their Facebook/ social media campaigns using trial, measurement and evolution.

And shows that social media marketing for retail, and almost every other industry, is here to stay.

Cheers everyone. This is my last post for 2009, look forward to exploring more exciting developments in 2010. And BTW the Avatar image is not related, but a great movie, I highly recommend it!

Happy New Year to you all.

You Have Beautiful UIs

Hi everyone

We can talk about Web 2.0 strategy and functionality, but the design of the User Interface (UI) is fundamental to the success of any Web Site.

Too often in the past different industries have adopted a cookie-cutter approach to Web Site design, but that is changing dramatically.

Most companies now realize that they need a unique Site design approach to support their new customer centric content and tools, whether it’s a major Brand Site or a campaign specific Micro-Site.

Here are some starting points to consider when thinking about creating a great UI:

1. Create your Own Voice: Does your web site design truly reflect your company/brand/campaign story? The best web sites acknowledge industry norms but are not afraid to make things better, simpler or faster. They are not afraid to let the brand personality shine through in unique or innovative ways. These days Web Sites are often the first place people experience brands in any significant – across many industries such as travel, automotive, finance, fashion, technology – you name it.

But it doesn’t mean you need to look exactly like your competitors just to be in the game. The same customer that goes to your site visits many others, and is not locked into only one way of doing things. Look at best practice across different industries then create your own voice. This article on the design approach from Virgin.com’s new Web Site is a great example how a brand can go about creating something that speaks in a unique and engaging way through UI design.

2. Be Purpose-Oriented: What this means is simply being aware of the different types of users you have to your site. When designing a site our Information Architecture (IA) needs to consider the different types of users and different purposes they have in visiting your site. And we need to plot these user personas and ensure we optimize each journey for a particular customer. Does the site template design, navigation design, iconography, image presentation, information display, etc. actually make it a better experience for ALL your key customers?

Check out this great Web Site from Volkswagen UK, designed from the very beginning to be tailored to different needs of all its audiences.

3. Make it Useful/Usable/Enjoyable: Which brings me too the 3 elements that are a great checklist when deciding whether your design approach adds to the Web Site experience. Does the Web Site actually help you get something done that you need to get done. Many sites now are about providing transactions or tools to help you achieve a specific aim – buy something, test something, play something. So if your site is not interacting or engaging me – why would I visit?

In this article, UI Matters: How an Interface Lift Can Make or Break a Brand, Garrick Schmitt provides a number of great examples of brands such as Mint that combine utility, usability and yes are actually fun to use.

4. Be Organic: The pace of change in ALL marketing means that Web Sites need to be flexible enough in conception and design to cope with constant change in a brand’s involvement in things like consumer-centric content, social media, mobile utility, etc. We call this an ‘organic’ approach to Site design, and something that major Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo does with sites like this so well. The Japanese retailer creates striking visual interfaces that enable to users to look at the company’s fashions in a completely unique, and yet intuitive manner.

And one that is constantly evolving.

What are your favorites?

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

5 Reasons Why Thai's Love a Digital Life

Hi everyone

12 months ago I used to have to convince some marketers that Thai people were embracing a digital lifestyle.

Not any more. As marketers we are constantly faced with the digital changes in our work and social lives. But there is still the belief that digital is ‘only for the young’, or that ‘most Thais aren’t ready for digital marketing’.

So I’ve provided 5 FACTS below (mostly sourced from the 2009 Asian Digital Marketing Association Handbook) about the digital change that is sweeping Siam and, what the implications of this are for marketers here.

1. ALL Thais Love the Web: There are more than 15 million Internet users, with a penetration rate of 23.7% this year. That’s up from around 20% last year and next year it’s predicted to hit 28%. That means we’re growing by about 20-25 % per year in terms of Internet usage. And it’s not just urban Bangkokians, 2/3 rds come from outside Bangkok and almost 60% of people online earn less than 30,000 Baht/month. Just kids? No, almost 50% of online users are older than 25. That means all mass consumer brands should be considering their digital strategies across the board, not just for young urban Bangkokians.

2. Thais are Embracing the Mobile Web: I have mentioned before that Thais are amongst the highest users in Asia of their mobile phones, at almost 3 hours a day. While much of this is just SMS & chatting on the phone, the real story lies in how Thai users are starting to embrace the mobile Web. Thailand’s mobile Internet population has grown by 116% in the past year, as people start to embrace smart phones and applications and the mobile web. It is still early days but predictions are that more people will be accessing the web from mobile than from any other device within 3 years. And with a mobile penetration rate of 82% and rising, you better have a mobile marketing strategy NOW!

3. Thais Connect with Social Media: While last year’s stats show 10.73 million social media users in 2008, I know for a fact that Facebook increased their members by about 1 million in the last month alone! Social Networking is split mainly between the teens on Hi-5 (Up to 8 million users) and the 20 + crowd, who are increasingly flocking to Facebook. And the trends are that the biggest growth area is actually in the 25+ age categories. Yes, everyone is starting to embrace this movement. And every brand now needs to recognize this is not a fad, but a real social media phenomenon which requires a new approach to marketing across different age groups.

4. Thais are Crazy about Gaming: According to recent research Thais are the #1 (18-29) for online gaming in Asia, at 3 hours per day. In fact, 33% of all users play games online. And the implications for this are beyond kids again. Looking at all the gaming on popular portal sites like Sanook or Pantip, at Hi5 and Facebook, and how game play is starting to become a part of marketing campaigns and web interaction from all ages. Gaming can be a fun way to educate, entertain and yes to sell. Are you making the most of this opportunity?

5. Thais Live to Blog, Create & generally ‘Engage’: Yes Thais are gaming a lot, using email and visiting news sites. But they are also inter-acting and creating in other ways. Look at blogging – 84% of Thai Internet users claim to write or participate in a blog every week. And 18% have used their mobile devices to make a video clip. As the Web becomes the primary communication & creativity tool in our lives, we need to keep up with the sophisticated and interactive elements in our marketing as well.

Of course we can talk about the negatives. The lack of infrastructure, that 3G is not here yet, the income divide. But the fact is many Thais are not waiting for anyone or anything - just getting out there and doing it. Marketers take heed.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

Can Social Media Campaigns Drive Sales?

Hi everyone

It’s a question we’re all faced with now. And it can be a tough one to answer at times.

“How can I get a campaign like ‘Whopper Sacrifice’ that sells?”

And as the bandwagon gathers pace, and social media becomes more central to our digital marketing plans, the right answer will get more important.

Because with more budgets and attention, comes more ROI demands.

But are these sales expectations justified? If you read recent research like this you are left wondering – marketing people saying it’s working, but results saying the opposite.

So what can marketers and agencies do to ensure we are developing social media campaigns that head in the right direction?

Different Ways to Measure Impact

The first step is to remember that social media has evolved by people and for people. It is generally not a direct sales tool, it is a conversation and relationship builder, although there are obvious examples like these that use social media to sell directly.

But in this interesting blog, we see there are a few different social media marketing goals, of which sales is only one:

- Increased Brand Awareness. Content can be created and spread by the social media community and improve public perception of your brand through the social media dialogue

- Reputation Management/ Customer Service. Another goal here is to positively influence the way a potential and existing customer/audience perceives your brand through this participation

- Improved Search Engine Rankings. Used as an SEO tool and creating content for the purpose of obtaining links from the members of the social news websites.

- Increased Relevant Visitor Traffic. Driving visitors or users to your website by investing more time on social communities which have a high topical relevance.

- Improve Sales for a Product or Service. Although hard selling a social media audience through an overtly commercial profile is not advisable because it will come across as marketing spam.

How Successful Social Media Campaigns Sell

So sales can certainly happen, but it’s selling in a different way. Perhaps the best lessons are looking at successful campaigns out there now to see how they are ‘selling different’:

#1. Give people something useful/ fun/ rewarding: Like a lot of digital marketing, utility and enjoyment are vital, because that’s what drives social media conversations and get’s you noticed and talked about or passed on. Look at recent examples like this one from Estee Lauder, offering free makeovers and photo shoots at its department-store cosmetics counters coast-to-coast to produce shots women can use for their online profiles. Similarly we have used social networking in a recent P&G online gaming campaign to help drive awareness and participation among young women in Asia.

#2. Make it sharable in the ‘conversation stream’: Twitter and now much more with Facebook recently, is a constant stream of updates that makes building static ‘fan pages’ and detailed brand material and very difficult sell. Instead, campaigns like this from Whisper (from our colleagues in Singapore) provide tools for women to connect with each other at ‘that time’ through messages of support and encouragement.

#3. Combine all your social media tools: Successful campaigns look at every social media – whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, FlickR, Youtube or Digg – and combines this with other online media channels such as web sites, blogs and online advertising. In this Ford Fiesta Movement campaign, Ford created a grassroots social media campaign to promote the new Fiesta model by placing Fiestas in the hands of 100 social “agents” and having them promote Ford’s new vehicle through Twitter, blogs, video, and events, all without spending a dollar on traditional media.

#4. Make a sale connection a natural part of the conversation: In all of the above campaigns, a sale or sales call is a natural outcome of giving people what they want. For Estee Lauder purchase isn't required, but the promotion does get women to the counter to talk with reps and try makeup. For Ford it raised 50,000 follow up sales contacts. And for Kellogg’s in this campaign, they raised awareness for the US’s largest hunger relief organization, through their Facebook page. Anyone can become a fan and those who donate $5 or more will receive $5 in coupons for Kellogg products. With over 200,000 fans that’s and good cause and good sales result.

So the answer is yes, social media campaigns sell. It may not always be the first or only priority, but done right it can definitely be a key part of the campaign goals.

But always bear this in mind. Do you really want to have a relationship, or even a conversation, with someone who is just trying to sell to you all the time?

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

App vs. WAP & Thai Mobile Marketing

Hi everyone

Interesting to read today that VW in the US is launching the latest Golf GTI car, using ONLY an iPhone application as its sole marketing media

Which raises some interesting questions – like when should marketers invest in an iPhone application (App), as opposed to a mobile web service (WAP)?

And what focus should we put on these strategies, compared to the rest of our marketing mix?

In Thailand, with the lack of a 3G network and slower development of mobile web, getting the answer right has never been more important.

So today I want to look at 3 points when considering the benefits of each:

1. Smart Phone Application
- This presentation App vs WAP – what is a marketer to do? does a great job at comparing the pros and cons of each approach. The key benefits of an app are:

1. Allows you to build a richer experience without impacting data speeds / charges. It’s more focused, fun and faster to use then mobile web.
2. Allows you to take advantage of native phone features (GPS, camera & voice). Localisation services using GPS are often a key to app success.
3. Features can work offline. No problems with bad connections.
4. Integration with other services (i.e. Facebook connect) Works well with many new platforms.
5. Can become a great extension of your brand attributes. It’s useful, fun and they almost always perform very well.

On the other hand, in Thailand with perhaps 200,000 iPhones phones you are only looking at less than 1% mobile penetration. Sure there are apps for BB and Android, but not many yet.

And then what % will find/ take up the app? As good as apps are, the audience reach is still at an early stage, and you need a good strategy to get buzz and generate usage

2. Mobile Web Site (WAP site)
The growth in mobile web sites has been pretty big this year. Most media, technology, social networking, gaming and banking/financial companies have one. Check out this list for an insight into 30 of them. The benefits to mobile are sites are:

1. Can work on 100% of devices. We are not restricted to just iPhones, we can adapt the site reach all mobile users.
2. Experience can be optimized to the highest common denominator. Means we can set a high standard across all platforms.
3. You can publish when you want – no approval process by App store required. No more 1 month delays for app approval!
4. iPhone, new Blackberry, Palm, and Android all share same Safari open source application framework Web kit. Makes developing easier.
5. Easier to drive to mobile web vs. drive to mobile App from mobile advertising networks. Driving traffic to a WAP site is easier for marketers.
6. Content from mobile web is searchable / search friendly. It works more like a Web experience people are used to.

Of course the issue is WAP sites need to be made for phones, they are very different and need to be much simpler than web sites.

And let’s face it, with download times and connection problems and a lack of confidence in transacting over the web here – a mobile site approach needs to be simple, well thought out and highly practical to make it work for this market.

3. The Right Mix?
In this excellent 3 min video from President of Major League Baseball in the US explains why for media organizations like his, you need to have both.

Clearly he makes a lot of sense. With apps you get a great experience, but a much smaller market. Albeit a market you can make money from. But with WAP you can get a much bigger reach. For Thailand it does depend on your industry, but some basic rules apply:

1. For WAP if you’re in media, banking, tech or entertainment you need a WAP first and need it now. Most other industries may not have one yet but with estimates saying a majority of Thais will access the Internet primarily through mobile within 2-3 years – you need a WAP strategy now!

2. For iPhone, apps make sense here and are great for a targeted and quite youthful (20-40), urban demographic. As part of an overall digital marketing strategy though, it is not a silver bullet but a great addition to the digital marketing plan.

Even in the States, some are questioning VW’s iPhone launch approach. And so do I. I tend to a agree with this reader who makes interesting strategy comments then finished with:

“In Volkswagen's quest to be the world's largest car marketer, saving money by launching a brilliant new vehicle with an i-phone app is akin to cutting back on an army's bullet budget...you'll have a little extra cash on hand when you've lost the war.”

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com